PEARL, Miss. - Seven different Barons recorded hits and Kyle Kubat slammed the door late out of the bullpen to secure the 53rd win of the season for Birmingham in a tight win over the Mississippi Braves.
PEARL, Miss. - Seven different Barons recorded hits and Kyle Kubat slammed the door late out of the bullpen to secure the 53rd win of the season for Birmingham in a tight win over the Mississippi Braves.
Alec Hansen made his second career Double-A Start and tossed five and a third innings and allowed two earned runs on eight hits while punching out nine hitters and not walking any in a no decision.
The Barons got the scoring started in the second inning. Nick Basto walked on four pitches to kick the frame off and was moved to second base on a Mason Robbins single. A wild pitch by Mississippi starter Tyler Pike moved the pair to second and third base to set up two runners in scoring position with one out. Trey Michalczewski was robbed of an extra base hit on a leaping grab by Braves shortstop Dylan Moore , but Danny Mendick was able to make up for it on an opposite field single to right that scored both runs and gave Birmingham a 2-0 lead after two innings. "I was kind of sitting on a changeup and he threw a fastball in, and I let it get deep and stayed inside it and finally got a bloop hit, just off the barrel" Mendick said of the at bat.
The score remained at 2-0 until Mississippi tied the game in the sixth inning. Austin Riley clubbed his first triple of the year to start the inning off. Joey Meneses drove a single to right field that allowed the runner to score from third and got the Braves on the board. After an Alex Jackson single and two consecutive walks, Barons reliever Jace Fry walked Connor Joe to bring in a run and tie the game at two after six full innings.
Alfredo González started off the Baron half of the eighth inning with a single, and Danny Mendick attempted to bunt him over, but Gonzalez was put out on a force play at second base. A successful hit and run by Jose Vinicio put runners on first and third for Hunter Jones, who dropped down a bunt and Mendick was able to scamper in from third base to put Birmingham up 3-2 late in the ballgame.
Kyle Kubat, in his second inning of work in the ninth, struck out two of the three batters he faced in the final inning to earn his second save of the season. "It's been a good year", said Kubat when asked about is success out of the bullpen for the Barons this season, "I've had a lot of success and I contribute that to a lot of mental work, a lot of preparation in the weight room and the training room and going out there and staying composed in any situation".
The Barons will take on the Braces in game four of the final five game set of the season tomorrow night, with first pitch set for 5:00 p.m. CT at Trustmark Park in Mississippi. Right-hander Jordan Stephens will take the ball for the Barons, while fellow righty Wes Parsons will start for the Braves. Curt Bloom will bring you all the action starting with the Coca-Cola pregame show starting at 4:50 p.m. on 105.5 FM WERC and the iHeart Radio app.
For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or for additional information about Regions Field, call (205) 988-3200, or visit www.barons.com, www.facebook.com/birminghambarons or on Twitter: @bhambarons.
